1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an output device, capable of information processing according to the traffic amount on a network.
2. Related Background Art
In the conventional output control system composed of a host computer and an output device such as a printer connected thereto, the process of generating output image data, to be outputted by the output device, from input data to the host computer is executed either by the host computer or the output device.
The data transmitted from the host computer to the output device are converted, in the host computer, into output data that can be interpreted by the output device, such as PDL (printer description language), based on user selected values such as print resolution and print colors or on predetermined system initial values, prior to the transmission to the output device.
Also in such output device, there is already known a method of suppressing the electric power consumption therein by shutting off or reducing the power supply to the output mechanism etc. in the output device, in case the output process is not conducted over a predetermined period.
However, in such conventional output control system, the data traffic amount on the network is not taken into consideration in case of forming an output control system by connecting the host computer and the output device through a network interface. Consequently, the transfer of data of a large amount such as color output data or output image data, in case the data traffic amount on the network is already high, further increases the data traffic amount on the network, thereby leading to the deterioration of the data transfer efficiency in the entire network.
Also whether the generation of the output image data is to be executed by the host computer or the output device is uniquely determined regardless of the size of the output image data to be generated. For this reason, the efficiency of the output process may be deteriorated depending on the state of data traffic on the network.
Furthermore, the execution of the output process in a state where the data transfer efficiency on the network is inferior will increase the proportion of the data reception waiting state in the entire output process time of the output device, thus leading to an extended output process time and eventually resulting in a higher proportion of the electric power consumption in the output device and a higher energy consumption.
Also in the conventional output device which shuts off or reduces the power supply in case the output process is not conducted for a predetermined period, the user wishing to use the output device again may have to wait as long as several minutes until the output device becomes ready for use.